University of South Dakota Football
University of South Dakota fields a football team in the Missouri Valley Football Conference (NCAA Division I). In 2024–25 the roster carried 122 players, about the median of 119, with 1 head coach and 14 assistants. Team expenses were $5,990,030, below the median of $9.1M — $49,098 per roster spot, lower half of Division I football programs. Under the Division I roster cap of 105 in force from 2025-26, that is 17 over — cuts or attrition are likely, though players already on the roster may stay (230 of 261 Division I programs carried more than the cap). The team's multi-year Academic Progress Rate is 968, about the median of 964, with 96% of players retained year to year. The school gave $2,861,467 in athletic aid across its men's teams, about $9,506 per roster spot.
Among Division I football programs
Where this program sits against its 261 peers (percentile; the tick is the median).
Team budgets across the division
Roster sizes (cap 105)
The program
- Roster122 2024–25 season
- Division I roster cap105 17 over last season
- Coaching staff1 head, 14 assistant
- Team expenses$5,990,030 for the year
- Operating expenses$620,112 game-day and travel
- Spend per roster spot$49,098 division median $79,762
- Academic Progress Rate968 multi-year; 975 latest
- Players retained96% year to year
- Eligible97% of player-terms
- Athletic aid, men's teams$2,861,467 school-wide
- Aid per roster spot$9,506 across men's teams
- Recruiting spend, men's$305,621 school-wide
Coaching staff
| Name | Title | |
|---|---|---|
| Matthew Vitzthum head coach | Head Coach | not on file |
Recruiting timing
- Coaches may first contact youSeptember 1 of junior year
- Your own emailsAny time the rule limits what coaches send back
- High-school football players1,029,588 2024-25
- Division I roster spots31,184 261 programs
- Odds of a spot1 in 33 3.0% of high-school players hold a Division I roster spot
General NCAA rule for Division I; the football recruiting guide has the date for each grad year, the eligibility checklist and what to put in a first email.
About the school
What an athlete asks first — each panel opens the full picture.Campus
Full picture →- Setting
- Town
- Type
- Public · Research university
- Affiliation
- None
Getting in
Full picture →- Test scores
- Test-optional
- Graduate in 6 yrs
- 61%
Football
Full picture →- Team expenses
- $5,990,030 $49,099 per roster spot · lower half of Division I
- Coaches
- 1 head · 14 assistant
- Athletic aid, men's teams
- $2,861,467
- Recruiting spend, men's
- $305,621
Cost
Full picture →- Tuition & fees
- $9,432 in-state · $12,942 out
Campus safety
Full picture →- In residence halls
- 5 burglaries · 22 sex offences over 2022–2024
- Residence-hall fires
- 7 over 2022–2024
Majors
Full picture →Research University of South Dakota
School pages built around what an athlete needs to know — the program's money and roster room, admissions fit, what a family really pays, majors, campus life and safety.
Football programs within 150 miles
| School | Miles | Roster | Budget | APR | Admitted | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wayne State College (Nebraska) Division II · Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference | 38 | 95 | $1.4M | — | — | |
| Augustana University (South Dakota) Division II · Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference | 52 | 124 | $2.9M | — | 59% | |
| University of Sioux Falls Division II · Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference | 52 | 118 | $1.9M | — | 82% | |
| Buena Vista University Division III · American Rivers Conference | 88 | 79 | $498k | — | 72% | |
| South Dakota State University Division I · Missouri Valley Football Conference | 106 | 114 | $5.9M | 978 | 99% | |
| Southwest Minnesota State University Division II · Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference | 129 | 108 | $1.3M | — | 69% | |
| Nebraska Wesleyan University Division III · American Rivers Conference | 135 | 122 | $398k | — | 84% | |
| University of Nebraska-Lincoln Division I · Big Ten Conference | 136 | 155 | $71M | 974 | 77% |
Other football programs in the Missouri Valley Football Conference
| School | Roster | Budget | Per player | APR | Compare | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of North Dakota 2 over cap | 107 | $6.9M | $64,656 | 962 | vs | |
| University of South Dakota 17 over cap | 122 | $6M | $49,098 | 968 | vs | |
| South Dakota State University 9 over cap | 114 | $5.9M | $51,936 | 978 | vs | |
| Illinois State University 23 over cap | 128 | $5.1M | $39,994 | 962 | vs | |
| Southern Illinois University at Carbondale at cap | 105 | $5M | $48,092 | 971 | vs | |
| Youngstown State University 18 over cap | 123 | $5M | $40,850 | 956 | vs | |
| Indiana State University 8 over cap | 113 | $4.8M | $42,391 | 958 | vs | |
| University of Northern Iowa at cap | 105 | $4.7M | $44,540 | 969 | vs | |
| Murray State University 5 over cap | 110 | $4M | $36,384 | 962 | vs |
Every Missouri Valley Football Conference football program · Football budgets ranked